It was the first time in five years that a championship classical game—the format played under long time controls—didn’t end in a draw. The chess world could hardly believe what it was seeing. In the age of supercomputer-trained super grandmasters, there were widespread fears that world championships were becoming dull and predictable. Preparation seemed to trump inventiveness.
Wall Street Journal
What even his rivals marvel at is how Carlsen, 31, has weaponized the computer revolution against them. He does it not by overpowering opponents with calculation, but by harnessing that digital knowledge to turn games into more human battles.
“Magnus is proud of saying that he’s probably the top player who works the least with the computer and is the least influenced by the computer,” said Carlsen’s coach, Peter Heine Nielsen. “He wants to trust his own evaluation, his human touch and to keep that.”
Genius.